Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike are citing the need for
broad reforms, such as proportional voting, to overhaul the state's
broken electoral system. Members of the California Assembly plan to
introduce legislation in 2006 that would create a representative body
of 80 citizens from all over the state to study
election problems. The citizens would make recommendations that would either be adopted
legislatively or submitted as a ballot initiative to face voters.
FairVote has long advocated such a plan for California,
as it would avoid the accusations of
partisan motivations that clung to all sides of the recent
redistricting reform debate.
The bipartisan proposal for a citizens assembly also received early support
from California's New America Foundation, which pushed for a similar
model based on the success an assembly in British Columbia. There, the assembly ultimately recommended choice voting.
[ Article on the proposed citizens assembly ]
[ Article on the legislation ]
[ FairVote's Proposal for a California citizens assembly ]
[ Information on the British Columbia citizens assembly ]
[ Bill information for ACA 28/Citizens Assembly on Electoral Systems Act ]
Everyone's vote should be equal when electing the president, no matter where they live. FairVote is a leader in the campaign to establish a national popular vote for president, and recommends that political parties establish a schedule and rules to promote all states having a meaningful vote in nomination contests.
California Legislators Call for Citizens Assembly on Electoral Systems
Bipartisan support for citizens to consider putting proportional voting on ballot
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